Social Media for Real Estate

To be a successful real estate agent, your business relies entirely on your leads and the number of buyers and sellers who hire you. Social media is a vital tool to help you connect with your audience and find leads that will establish a successful business. But, for your social media channels to offer any benefit, you must use it correctly. You can’t simply post random content inconsistently, hoping to receive leads. As you work on and boost your social media channels as a real estate agent, here are several dos and don’ts you must keep in mind.

Do Post Frequently

One of the most frequently asked questions is “how often should I post on social media?” While there are many factors that can come into play, your primary concern should be whether you are posting quality content. When you rarely post, your audience won’t know who you are, you won’t gain credibility, and you hurt your online brand. But, if you post too often and post random, boring content, your audience will not pay attention and quickly scroll by.

Furthermore, as you try to determine how often to post, you must consider the platform. Research shows that each channel has its own optimal posting schedule. For example, it is recommended to only post once per day on Facebook with no more than two posts in a day. For Twitter, three tweets per day is ideal with no more than five in a day. LinkedIn should never be more than once per day and if possible, post in the morning hours.

Do Encourage Engagement

When it comes to social media, you want an active channel. You want comments, likes, and shares, as that means that your content is not only being seen but is being shared and your reach is expanding. To create an engaging channel, you must think about who your audience is. Are you targeting first-time homebuyers? 55+ individuals? Sellers or those looking to downsize their home? Whoever your target audience may be, ensure that the content you post is valuable for them. If they relate to it, they are likely to share it themselves.

Additionally, when you receive questions, comments, inquiries on your channels, respond back. Social media is a fast and efficient way for your leads to reach you. According to one study, the average response time of B2B companies was 42 hours and only 37% of companies responded to their leads within one hour.

Why Does this Matter?

We live in a time of instant gratification. If we don’t receive an answer to our question quickly, we will find someone else who can help us. When you give 42 hours to respond, you have given a potential client time to find and list their home with someone else.

Do Become a Platform Expert

As you build your online presence, don’t feel overwhelmed thinking you must manage four or five social channels every single day. Rather than be semi-active on a handful of platforms, be 100% committed and an expert on just one or two. However, this is going to require work and effort on your part. You must determine what platforms your target audience is using and focus on them. You must learn the features, the marketing tricks, and the techniques to capture their attention and establish a successful channel.

For example, if you are targeting millennials or first-time homebuyers, 59% of 18 to 29-year-olds and 33% of 30 to 49-year-olds use Instagram, making it worth your consideration. However, if you are targeting empty nesters and retired individuals, only 8% of individuals 65 years or older actively use Instagram, making it a platform that will likely offer very little return.

Don’t Focus Solely on Listings

If your social media channels are simply a place to post and promote your latest listings, you are using them wrong. These platforms are a place for you to connect with your audience, build your online presence, make yourself appear as an expert in the industry, and so much more. Take a step outside of the box and be creative with the type of content that you post. There are dozens of ideas available that bring variety, education, engagement, and emotion to your online presence.

In addition, utilize various technologies and tools. For example, create and publish videos, interview businesses and service providers in the communities, give neighborhood tours via video or with a panoramic photo, or conduct a Q&A session.

By simply posting listings, you are missing countless opportunities on your social channels.

Don’t Focus Entirely on Business

In addition to posting a variety of content, don’t stick to strictly business-related content. Instead, post content that allows your followers to get to know you better. Remember, that when working with a real estate agent, buyers and sellers will only hire someone that they trust. You can build this trust with your online content.

Don’t forget to have fun. Host giveaways or contests to increase engagement and help others get to know you. While you certainly want to post real-estate-related content, the more others can get to know you and the type of services you provide, the more likely they are to hire you or recommend you.

When done correctly, social media can change the way you receive and convert leads and expand your business. Be creative, post a variety of content, and let your audience get to know you. If you do, you will reap the rewards.

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Courtnie Erickson is the Real Estate Content Specialist at GetWrittn with more than a decade of writing and editing experience. She has written hundreds of real estate articles for agents across the United States and Canada and many of her clients are ranked at the top of Google's search engine rankings. When Courtnie isn't writing or reading about real estate, you'll find her at home with her family in Idaho or out for a run in the mountains.